


In Your Eyes

by kitteh_cat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Humanstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2013-08-02
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:37:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitteh_cat/pseuds/kitteh_cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My first HS fanfic!  Rated for language, and possible other things later.<br/>Homestuck is owned by Andrew Hussie, as is my soul. o.o<br/>Nepeta is a senior in a new school.  How will she fare when she finds that others here have had the same dreams she has?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone knows that it's hard being the "new kid" at school. Trying to fit in, getting used to the campus, the teachers, trying to make friends. Ugh. Even worse when you move into town in the middle of your senior year.

Breathing a sigh of resignation, the girl stepped through the door at the urging of her new homeroom teacher. She stood quietly at the front of the class, almost relieved that no one seemed to be paying attention. Until she was pointed out, of course.

"Attention, idiots." The teacher dropped her load of books onto her desk, creating a loud thump that brought everyone's eyes forward. "Today we are graced with a new brain to cram. This is Nepeta Leijon, and she will be joining us for the rest of the year."

Nepeta blushed furiously, taking a quick glance around the room. Most of the other students seemed to plainly not care, looking back to their friends or phones. One girl in the back row was smiling kindly, and Nepeta managed a weak smile back. When her eyes turned to the corner, though...

A young man who had previously been taking a nap on his arms sat up and also smiled at her, trying to be welcoming. Her heart pounded in her chest. 'Fuck. He's really hot...' She looked up from his teeth to his eyes, and felt her face drain of the blush she had been sporting. 'Ouch...' She could read them too easily. Although he seemed to be able to hide from most people behind that lazy demeanor, Nepeta could see that his eyes were full of pain, worry, fear, and something very dark... He was too distracted to know that she noticed.

The teacher, who had introduced herself earlier as Ms. Serket told her to take a seat in the back row. Of course, right next to him. Thankfully, the open desk was also right next to the other girl who had smiled. Nepeta decided she would try to focus on her. "One more thing, Miss Leijon, " Ms. Serket said quietly to her. "Unlike most of the staff here, I do not mind people talking *quietly* in my class. If you can't be quiet, passing notes is also fine. Just don't make a scene, or I have to write you up."

"Thank you." Nepeta lifted up her books and padded quietly to the open desk, sinking into it and trying to disappear. A note landed on her desk from the right. Unfolding it, she saw a neat scrawl in blue at the top. 'hey nepeta. i'm reika. nice to meet you ;P' Holding back a giggle, Nepeta took out a green pencil and wrote back. 'call me nep. :3 i'm glad someone is friendly here...' She folded the piece of paper up and handed it back. She happily spent the rest of homeroom chatting with her new friend in notes, and even doodled some of her drawings.

Before she knew it, the bell rang. Reika stood and stretched, then helped Nepeta pick up her books. "You only just got here, didn't you? Have you gotten your schedule yet?"

Shaking her head, Nepeta stood up. "No, they pretty much walked me up here and left me outside the door. I didn't even get a chance to look around on my way... I'm going to get so lost."

Reika smiled. "No worries! I'm actually one of the main office assistants next period, so I'll show you around after lunch! Come on, you can sit with me and my friends." Looking around Nepeta, she picked up a pencil and threw it at the guy who had gone back to sleep on his desk. It bounced off his head and he sleepily opened his eyes.

"Now how's a motherfucker supposed to catch some shut eye when another motherfucker's all up and throwing shit at him?" He smiled lazily and looked at the clock. "Oh, sweet, lunch time. Thanks sis!"

Reika rolled her eyes. "Dude, you'd go to sleep anywhere. Come on, let's go collect your annoying counterpart and get some grub." She started walking toward the door. Nepeta followed, but stopped cold when she felt a warm hand on her arm. Feeling herself blush again, she looked around.

"Haha, you know Kar's not that bad, Rei-sis." He looked down at Nepeta. 'Down is right... Fuck, he's so tall...' Looking at him up close, she noticed now that his eyes were an incredible shade of indigo. "Hey there, kitty cat. I'm Gamzee." He smiled crookedly at her. She suddenly felt like melting into the floor.

"I'm, uh, Nepeta. Nice to meet you." She dropped her gaze, hoping he couldn't tell how much she was trying not to stutter and run.

"Oy! You two gonna stand there all day? I'm hungry!" Reika grabbed Nepeta's arm and started dragging her away.

"Oh, sorry..." Glad of the distraction, Nepeta let her friend pull her away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepeta finds herself at a comforting place that she thought wouldn't be there after so long, then someone else shows up...

Despite being new to the school, this wasn't Nepeta's first time living in this town. After her last class, she assured Reika that she knew how to get to her boarding house, and that she had some errands to run before going there. How she managed to slip away without anyone following, she had no idea, but she was severely happy about it. She ran all the way to an abandoned house on the edge of town, and stood looking at it for ten minutes. Part of her wished she had never had to leave this place. It was such a shame... Her house had been lovely, but was now just a run down dump... Walking around to the back of the house, she almost squealed in delight. It was still there!

An old tree stood in the backyard, with platforms leading up to a cool looking tree fort. Climbing the ladder carefully, she went all the way up to the roof of the fort. Nepeta dropped her olive green messenger bag in the middle of the space, then she laid down to stare at the darkening sky. 'I missed this place...'

Closing her eyes, Nepta looked into her memories. She had spent much of her childhood playing and pretending in this tree, even before she and her mother made the fort for her. She would always fall asleep up here whenever she played, and especially when she had to escape all the yelling... Her parents hadn't been great together, but they tried for her sake. Still, they had a hard time getting along, so when she was tired of their bickering, she would slip out of her bedroom window to climb into her castle in the sky. Here she would dream of other worlds, other lives. Dream that she wasn't always alone.

Her eyes shot open and she saw that it had gotten quite dark. Had she fallen asleep? What woke her... There it was again. Someone was climbing up. Feeling suddenly trapped, she sat on her heels and wrapped her arms around her knees. She faced away from the ladder, not ready yet to face someone else. As she was repositioning herself, her bag fell open and a few of her drawings fell to the floor below her. 'Crap...' She still didn't move, though. Not yet... Suddenly, she could hear them talking. 'Them? Shit shit shiiiiit...' Yes, there were definitely two guys coming up the ladder.

"Don't give me that crap, Gam. You were all kinds of upset earlier. Now what's wrong?" That sounded like one of Reika's friends that she met at lunch. His name was... Karkat? She thought that was right. He seemed to be cranky all the time.

"Haha, I win, motherfucker!" That... That was Gamzee, no mistaking his voice. 'Shiiiiiiiiiiit.' Her head was reeling.

"Of course you won, asshat. You were the first one up the ladder. Now stop avoiding the issue!" Nepeta could hear Karkat still climbing, then she heard something else. Something that sounded like papers being picked up, then... Hidden in a drawer? Gamzee knew someone was up here... And he was keeping it quiet from his friend.

"Nah, man. I'm in a bitchtits wicked mood today, dunno what you're going on about, haha!"

Nepeta counted the rungs on the ladder as Karkat kept climbing. But... He stopped just short of going up all the way. "Fuck this, man. I'm too tired today. If you don't want to talk, I'm going back to the house."

"Whatever floats your boat, bro. I'll see you!"

"Yeah, see you later. If you're too late, you'll miss out on dinner, you know." He started grumbling as he climbed down.

A couple quiet minutes passed like hours, and Nepeta wished she could just fly away. 'Why did they have to come up here at all?'

Suddenly a bag was thrown up next to her, and she squeaked in surprise. A shaggy head of dark black hair followed, and indigo eyes nearly glowed in the starlight. "Oh, hey there kitty cat. What are you all up and motherfucking doing here?"

"I... I'm sorry, this is your place now, isn't it? I can leave..." Nepeta stood up to try for the ladder, but Gamzee held up a hand to stop her. She sat back down carefully.

"Nah, man, stay. I like having company. What are you doing up here?" He smiled and picked up his bag, digging around in it for something.

Nepeta sighed. "Just trying to get myself calm, I guess... 'Swhat I built this place for... With my mom, when I was a kid." Trying to hide her blush, she looked up at the sky.

Gamzee stopped rummaging and pulled out two bottles of soda. He handed her a purple one, and opened a red one for himself. "No shit? Sweet, didn't know you used to live here. Why'd you move?"

The purple soda stopped halfway to her lips, and she set it down quickly. As the pain came, she stammered, "I... Well, we were... Um." She tried to close her mind off from that line of thought, but the tears came unbidden. Blinking rapidly to clear them, she couldn't help but start shaking at the effort.

"Whoa, whoa. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a hard subject, kitty cat." Gamzee sat down next to her, and pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to talk about it if it hurts."

She froze in his arms, then relaxed. 'He's so... warm...' Shivering, she realized finally that she had forgotten her coat today. "Th-thanks..."

Gamzee grinned. "Not a motherfucking problem, kitty cat." They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Nepeta sneezed from the cold. Startled, Gamzee took another look at her. "Fuck, man, you're freezing. That's no good!" In half a second he had his jacket off and wrapped around her. It was huge on her, but it felt so nice... And it smelled wonderful.

"I... I should actually get going soon... I'm supposed to check in at this boarding house... I'm really late, I should go." Damnit, why did she keep stammering?

"Boarding house...? Oh, you mean the Hive? Sweet, I'm staying there, too!" He chuckled. "No wonder they were cleaning that room up. Hey, I'll walk with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go... Hopefully people will read this... u.u I like where this is going, but I just need to iron out details for future chapters. Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gamzee brings Nepeta to the "Hive", where she is accosted by a very friendly girl...

After a short walk, they arrived at what Gamzee called “the Hive”, a three-story building that looked like a remodeled mansion. Nepeta vaguely remembered seeing this place when she was little, only knowing that it was huge, and thinking that some aloof royalty must inhabit the place. The grey stone of the walls seemed rather cold, and even the fountain looked brooding. Nepeta shivered.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure everyone here will fucking love you, kitty cat.” Gamzee smiled down at her with that crooked grin, and she again wanted to melt. She smiled shyly back, trying to put on a brave front. Putting a bare arm over her shoulder (she still had his jacket on), Gamzee started walking her toward the front door.

Before they even reached the front porch, the door opened, and Nepeta hid halfway behind Gamzee. In the dark, it was almost like she wasn’t there. He chuckled. ‘She’s so motherfucking cute…’ He started at his own thought.

Out of the doorway stepped a young woman wearing a rather stylish red dress. Her short black hair was pulled back from her jade green eyes with a dark purple headband. She immediately began berating Gamzee in a motherly tone. “Gamzee Makara, you are late once again. Supper was finished twenty minutes ago. And where is your coat? The weather is beginning to turn. If you continually leave the house without proper protection from the weather, you will become ill!” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a disapproving look.

Gamzee’s face became a mask of seriousness. “Kanaya, can I… Can I motherfucking ask you something? It’s kind of important…” He sounded so serious that Nepeta nuzzled her face into his back, which was how she knew he was laughing under his breath.

The woman named Kanaya raised an eyebrow. “Go on, then…”

“If I told you I all up and found a motherfucking kitty cat, and asked if I could keep it, what would you say?” He was trying so hard not to let out a chuckle.

Kanaya was taken aback at his apparent sincerity. He did appear to be hiding something behind him… “Well, I suppose that would depend on whether the animal had a place to stay. Certainly, I would not turn it away in the cold of the night… If it became a bother, we would simply take it to a shelter in the morning. But I must know… Why are you asking me this?”

Grinning widely, Gamzee pulled Nepeta in front of him, and held her there so she wouldn’t try to hide again. “Look, Kanaya! I found a kitty cat! Can I keep it?” He started giggling hysterically at the joke he made.

Kanaya stood for a minute, blinking in shock, then covered her face with a hand and sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. “Well,” she started, lifting her head, “I suppose this does explain why she did not show up after school let out.” Kanaya smiled kindly at Nepeta. “Please come inside. I can heat up some of the dinner for you, and we shall introduce you to everyone.” Turning, she went back in through the door, expecting them to follow.

Nepeta stuck her tongue out at Gamzee, then giggled. “Meanie… Oh, here.” She pulled his jacket off and handed it back to him. “Thanks for that.”

Slinging it over his shoulder, he patted her head. “Not a motherfucking problem, kitten. Now, let’s get in before you all up and get cold again.”

The inside of the house was even more drab and depressing than the outside, despite the colorful wall hangings, carpets, and paintings decorating it. Walking through the front door, they entered into a grand foyer, which connected most of the downstairs with arches, doorways, and a rather grandiose set of stairs. Gamzee ushered her through an archway on the left, and into what seemed to be a living room full of people chatting, playing video games on a large tv, and using a few of the many computers around the room. He cleared his throat loudly, and everything stopped.

“H-hello. I’m Nepeta. It’s nice to meet you.” She felt her face turning red again. She really wished that would stop. This was embarrassing enough without holding the world record for blushing so much in a single day.

A pretty girl stood up from the couch. She had long curly brown hair, blue eyes, and was dressed head to toe in pink, including her round glasses. She bounced over to Nepeta and gave her a tight hug. “Hi, Nepeta! I’m Feferi! It’s reelly nice to meet you! I’m shore we’ll be great fronds!”

A young man sitting on the couch scoffed. Flipping his scarf over his shoulder, he looked over with disgust. “Cod, Fef, tone it dowwn. Nobody wwants to hear your glubbing fish puns.”

Feferi gave him a dirty look. “Oh, clam up, Eridan! It’s knot like you’re anemone better!” Looking back at Nepeta, she smiled brightly and grabbed her hand. “Come on, you’re going to love where your room is!” Without waiting for a response, Feferi started dragging her along, chatting and giggling the entire way back out into the foyer and down a hallway on the right. She stopped at the third door on the left. “Sea? This one is yours! It’s right across from mine! Heehee!”

Nepeta smiled and giggled. This girl was kind of infectious. “Thanks, Feferi. Um… Actually, I’m a little bit tired… Do you think it would be okay if I met everyone else later?”

Feferi looked crestfallen for a second, then perked right up. “Oh, of course! I’m shore they won’t mind at all! Sweet dreams!” She hugged Nepeta tightly again, then flounced back toward the living room.

Nepeta opened the door to “her” room. All her luggage and belongings had been delivered, and were stacked neatly against one wall. Along another was an inviting bed with a down comforter and pillows. It looked so comfortable… But her eyes were drawn to the double curtains that fell all the way to the floor across from the doorway she stood at. Crossing the room quickly, she threw them open to find a set of French doors that apparently opened into the garden in the back of the mansion. She opened one, and stepped out.

Flowers grew in neat rows, and a grass walkway wound a path through the fruit trees, shrubberies, and flowerbeds. In the starlight, it looked mysterious and magical. It was also making her sleepy. It had been a very long day. Thankfully, Nepeta didn’t have to go to school tomorrow, since today was Friday. She walked back inside, closed the door, and drew the curtains. Crawling into the fluffy bed, she was asleep in moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew... That one was harder to write than the first two. My day kept interrupting my thought processes, and most of the awesome ideas I had slipped away from me. Thankfully, I found better ones! I hope you enjoyed! Please R&R! I would love some critiques!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams, nightmares, makeup, and breakfast!

Little white cubes and teapots are everywhere to be seen. The sky is fading into a dark evening gold, little different from the sweet-looking daytime hue of tea-like yellow orange. In the distance can be heard a river, which, if seen, would look and smell like a sweet green tea.  
Nepeta bared her claws and pounced on the giant two-headed monster, attacking first one head, then the other. She slashed, stabbed, and clawed the beast, then finally ripped off both of the heads in one final blow. Leaping to the ground, she was showered in a pile of grist, which she quickly gathered up.  
Turning around, she squealed in happiness at seeing another troll, and started running. Taking a flying leap, she pounced on her meowrail, tackling him and causing him to slide through the sweet little cubes that made up the ground. “Equius! I’m so purrleased you came!”  
“Ah… Yes. I thought I would check to see if you needed any assistance here.” He patted her head affectionately before getting back up.  
The landscape began to fade to darkness, and the rest of the conversation could no longer be heard over an incessant pounding.

BANG BANG BANG  
“Hey, fuckasses! Get up if you want food.” Karkat grumbled through the hall downstairs, knocking on doors and yelling for people to wake up.  
Nepeta sat up in her bed, confused for a moment as to where she was. Those dreams just kept getting more and more vivid. At least they had some regularity. Yawning, she stretched and crawled out of bed. She looked down and groaned. She hadn’t even gotten undressed last night! She must have really been exhausted.  
Crossing to the opposite wall, she unzipped one of her suitcases, digging around for some jeans, and came across one of her favorite shirts. It was black, and had the astrological symbol for Leo on it in olive green. She picked out some underwear and a bra, and got changed. She then found her brush and ran it through her unruly hair. ‘Ugh. I need another haircut. Maybe just a trim, though…’  
Going out into the hallway, she saw Karkat banging on the door next to hers. “Gamzee, get the fuck up, damnit!”  
“Good morning,” Nepeta mumbled, still a bit sleepy.  
“Oh, hey. Kanaya’s getting breakfast ready, if you want to eat.” He pointed up the hall, and straight across the foyer.  
She nodded in thanks and headed toward the smell of food.

Karkat watched her pad away for a moment, and then barged into his best friend’s room to make him get up. His angry expression turned to one of worry when he saw the state of the bed’s occupant.  
Gamzee was tossing and turning, a look of fear and pain on his sleeping face. He was whimpering, and cried out at something.  
Karkat rushed to the bed, grabbing the blanket that had been thrown to the ground, and carefully tucked it back around Gamzee. He put a hand on his friend’s forehead, and leaned down next to him. “Shoosh, shoosh. It’s okay…” He kept this up until he saw Gamzee calm down and sleep quietly. He waited a few minutes, then… “Hey, Gamzee… WAKE UP!”  
Gamzee shot up in bed, looking around in terror. When he saw Karkat, he grabbed his friend’s shirt, buried his face in it, and started bawling. The dreams had been particularly terrifying this time, and he just couldn’t put on his usual smiling face yet. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh, god, I’m so motherfucking sorry.” He sobbed for a few minutes, apologizing over and over, but never saying what for.  
Karkat sighed. “Aw, come on, man. Don’t do that. Your face will be all red again.” He patted Gamzee’s shoulder, and helped him to get out of bed. “Why don’t you clean up and put on some of that crappy makeup today. You kind of need it…”

Nepeta entered into what seemed to be a dining room, where she found Feferi, Eridan, and three other people sitting around a table. One was a young woman with dishwater blonde hair, wearing a pair of red-tinted glasses. Another was a guy with cracked sunglasses and a pony tail restraining his long black hair. And one of them was Reika! Nepeta flopped down into the chair next to her friend. “Hey!”  
Reika smiled. “Morning, Nep. What do you have planned for today?”  
Nepeta shrugged. “No idea, really. Well, I thought I’d get some more art supplies. I have some new drawings to do, and I need some paints, too.”  
Feferi chimed in. “A few of us have some errands to run. We should all make a day of it! Hehehe!”  
Eridan scowled. “No wway am I going out wwith the likes of them! I’ll just go by myself!” He got up from the table and stormed out.  
Reika rolled her eyes. “Drama queen…”  
Feferi stood up, sighing. “I should go try to clam him down. Maybe another time, okay?” She flashed a quick smile before running after him.  
“Um…” Nepeta started, looking at Reika.  
“Haha, you wanna know what their deal is, don’t you?”  
Nepeta nodded. “Are they dating or something?”  
Before Reika could answer, the other girl started cackling. “Dating, she says! Ahahahaa! Oh, man, that’s a good one!” She made a point of wiping a fake tear from her eye.  
“What do you mean? They seem pretty close…” Nepeta looked from her to the doorway they left through.  
“Oh, you could say that. That girl is a saint, I swear.” She scowled. “She’s the only one who can put up with his bullshit and drama mongering, and the only one who can keep him calm. Who knows what would happen if she weren’t around to keep him in check?” Smiling wickedly, she added, “Actually, I’d kind of like to see that, hehehe.”  
“Now, now, Terezi. Gossip does not suit you.” Kanaya walked in, juggling two trays full of food. The young man sitting next to Reika jumped up to assist her. “Ah, thank you, Equius.”  
Nepeta started at that name. ‘No… No way. What?’ She thought back on her dream from that morning, but it had started to fade. Closing her eyes, she got one last glimpse of the troll she had pounced. Take away the grey skin, the horns… She shook her head to clear those thoughts. ‘Silly. It’s just a dream.’  
Kanaya looked at who was seated around the table. “I see that not many have decided to join us for breakfast this morning.”  
Terezi grinned. “All the more for us!”  
Smiling, Kanaya began unloading the trays. She set down plates of pastries, bacon and sausage, cheeses, bread, and fruits. “Well, as I cannot in good conscious expect too much in the way of decorum on a Saturday morning… Dig in, I suppose.”  
Nepeta grabbed a scone and started nibbling on it, her mind still drifting back to her dream. It was the first time that she had heard a name in it, then to meet someone with the same name, someone who bore a surprising resemblance to the troll…  
“Hey, Kanaya.” Karkat walked into the dining room. “We’re going to go out for food today.” He gestured toward the doorway behind him, where Gamzee leaned against the frame, staring off into space.  
Nepeta cocked her head to the side, looking at him. He was wearing a purple and black zip up hoodie with dark eyes and pointed teeth in a grin on the hood. He also seemed to be wearing… Makeup? But it looked more like face paint… Dark around his eyes and mouth, and white everywhere else on his face. It was kind of creepy.  
“Alright, have a nice day,” Kanaya said, breaking Nepeta’s reverie. “Do not be late for supper this time!”  
Karkat nodded, grabbed Gamzee’s arm, and started out toward the front of the house. Gamzee followed somewhat reluctantly, subdued.  
Reika poked Nepeta’s side. “Heeeeyyyy! You’re not listening, are you?”  
Nepeta smiled. “Sorry, spacing out a bit. What were you saying?”  
“I said when you’re done eating, you should come with me and Equius to go shopping! We can stop at the art store while we’re out.”  
Taking the last two bites of the scone, Nepeta nodded. “Sure. Let me go grab my bag, and I’ll be ready to go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I did not expect this to be so long... And Fef keeps trying to put herself in at the most inopportune times! >.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day of shopping and.... Pie? Huh?

Nepeta shrugged her only coat on. It was just a denim jacket, really, and a bit threadbare in places. She kept forgetting that she needed a new one. Oh, well, she’d get around to it sometime. This was, of course, what she told herself every time she thought about it. She picked up her messenger bag and went to go meet Reika and Equius outside.  
They were waiting by the fountain. Nepeta shivered a bit at the wind blowing as she walked over to them. Maybe she should have worn a long sleeved shirt today…  
Further thoughts on the matter were interrupted by Reika speaking up in concern. “Nep, is that the only coat you have?”  
Nepeta nodded sheepishly. “I’ve been meaning to get a new one, but I guess I keep forgetting. I think I have a sweatshirt I can throw on under it…”  
Equius looked extremely agitated. “No. This will simply not do.” He scowled and tromped back inside the house.  
Looking to Reika, Nepeta wondered aloud, “Did- did I say something wrong?”  
To her surprise, her friend giggled and smirked. “Nah, just wait a moment. He’ll be back.”  
Nepeta looked at her a bit skeptically, but waited. Sure enough, after a few minutes, he came back out, carrying a green overcoat. He handed it to Nepeta. “I no longer use this one. You may keep it, if you so choose. For now, however, I do request that you wear it for this outing.”  
Nepeta blushed and nodded. “I will, thank you.” She put it on. It was about two sizes too big, but it was wonderfully warm. And… It somehow felt right.  
Grinning widely, Reika grabbed Nepeta’s arm and Equius’ hand. “Shall we go, then?”

Gamzee trailed a couple yards behind Karkat as they walked through the park. They had been walking around for over an hour. Gamzee was trying to get the dark voices in his head to shut up, or at least stop yelling. ‘the dark carnival is coming, brother. ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKING READY? you better be…’ He clutched his head in his hands and screamed at the sky. “SHUT THE FUCK UP! WHY WON’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?”  
Karkat stopped and turned around. His face was a mask of worry. “Fuck, man, you really can’t shut it out this time, can you? Shit.” He walked back to where Gamzee stood. Putting his own hands over Gamzee’s, he relaxed their grip, then pulled his friend’s head down to his level, and leaned his forehead against Gamzee’s. “Hey, we tried, yeah? I can see this isn’t helping. Come on, let’s go get your fix.”  
Gamzee nodded, sobbing. “I’m so motherfucking sorry, bro. I really wanted this to work. I’m sorry…”  
“Stop apologizing already, fuckass! You don’t need to. Come on, we’ll hit up the bakery.”

It only took about ten minutes for them to walk into town. Across from the park was a shopping center, where they found the art store that Nepeta needed. Equius went a few stores over, to a specialty electronics store. He said he needed to get some new tools, and to wait outside the art store until he met them there.  
Nepeta found the supplies she needed with little trouble: Two new drawing pads, a small pad of charcoal paper, some fine brushes, and a set of high-quality colored pencils.  
“Is that all you need?” Reika asked as they headed to the registers.  
“Yeah. I was putting off getting these until I got more settled, but I’m going crazy not being able to draw more.” She stepped into the line to wait. Thankfully, there were only a few people ahead of her.  
“So what are you planning to draw today?”  
“I’m not sure just yet. I might work on some of the pieces I started on the bus here.” Nepeta thought about that. They were drawings inspired by a few of her dreams.  
“Oh, can I see?”  
Nepeta smiled and stepped up to the register. The line moved faster than she thought. “Nope! I only show them when they’re done.”  
“Aww… Oh, hey Aradia!” Reika smiled at the young woman behind the register.  
“Hi Reika. Doing some shopping? Who’s your friend here?” She pushed her hair out of her face. It was a gorgeous mane of deep black, and the color was mirrored in her eyes.  
Reika giggled. “This is Nepeta. She’s the one who just moved into your old room.”  
“Ah. I hope you like it there! The garden is especially lovely at night.” She rang up the items while she chatted. “Um, hey, Reika?”  
“Yes, I’ve seen Sollux. He’s doing alright, but he always seems distracted, and gets irritated easily. Nobody’s tried to bring you up, so I’m not sure what he’s thinking.”  
Aradia nodded. “Thanks. I’m glad he’s doing well. Anyway, you girls go have fun today! It’s pretty out!” She handed the bag full of art supplies to Nepeta. “And it’s nice to meet you, Nepeta!”  
“Nice to meet you, too.” Nepeta took the bag, and she and Reika left the store to go wait for Equius.

A young man leaned against a store counter, bored. No one had come in yet, even though Saturdays were generally when the most people came in to place their "orders". He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked it for the millionth time. No messages, no calls, no nothing. So motherfucking boring...  
The door opened, and the horn attached to it honked. Seriously, who uses bells? A bike horn was so much more fun. Looking up at the two young men entering the shop, he smiled wickedly and flipped them off.  
"Yeah, fuck you, too, Kurloz." Karkat scowled. "You know what we're here for."  
Kurloz began moving his hands quickly, spelling something out in sign.  
Karkat couldn't understand sign language, but Gamzee could.  
Gamzee frowned. "Yeah, apparently not. Come on, man, just get some ready. I've got the cash here." He pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over.  
Kurloz took it, made it disappear, and signed to Gamzee again. "I can get you some pie, bro, but you should just keep going without." He laughed silently.  
"And why is that, exactly?" Gamzee was starting to get irritated.  
Kurloz took a few steps closer and signed, "Because you're more fun to fuck with this way."  
Gamzee couldn't take it anymore. He was tired of having to fake a good mood, tired of the fucking voices, and motherfucking sick to death of this fucker's bullshit. He waited a few seconds, until Kurloz was just a few feet away, then he threw a punch hard into his brother's jaw, sending him sprawling against the counter. "FUCK YOU!"  
Silently chuckling, Kurloz picked himself up and signed again. "See? Too easy. Heh. Well, fine. Give me a minute, bro." Jumping over the counter, he disappeared into a back room, and came back a few minutes later with a green jell-o pie and a small paper bag. "Should last you about a month. Don't get too fucked up. You may like to feel out of it like that, but you're boring as shit." He shoved the pie and the bag into Gamzee's hands. "Now leave. I'm waiting for someone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, gog. This took forever, even without all the distractions. I really need a laptop. I can't go anywhere without ideas popping into my head, and by the time I get to a computer, they all go poof. >.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-shopping fun! And a little sadness... And anticipation! Woo!

After a few minutes of waiting, Equius came out, and walked over. He seemed preoccupied with something. “Ah, Reika. I have received a call, and I need to do some repair work. I shall need some assistance in gathering my tools at the house.” He frowned, seeming to suddenly remember that Nepeta was there, too. “Ah, if it would not bother you, that is…”  
Reika sighed and looked at Nepeta.  
She smiled. “It’s no problem, really. I was just going to go to the park to draw for a while… It’d be pretty boring, so you go ahead. I’ll see you later.”  
After waving them goodbye, Nepeta crossed the street to the park and wandered for a bit, before finding a nice spot with good light where it was quiet. She set her supplies out around her, then started to look around in her bag for the sketches she was thinking of improving on. She managed to find one of them. ‘Wha? I know I made four… Where are… Oh, shit.’ She recalled the day before, when some papers fell from her bag to the floor of the tree house.  
Nepeta stood up and stretched. It was still relatively early, so it wouldn’t be too much trouble to run over there and get them back… Right?

“Haha! Motherfucking miracles, brother! The world is a magical place!” Gamzee licked the last of the green goo off of his fingers as he nearly skipped along ahead of Karkat.  
“Yeah. Miracles. Joy.” Karkat rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics, but was inwardly relieved that he didn’t have to deal with a depressed Gamzee. “Where are we even going?”  
“To the tree house, best friend! I wanna look at all those motherfucking trees! They’re nature’s miracles!” Gamzee laughed out loud. “Hell, all of nature is a motherfucking miracle, don’t you think, bro?”  
“Yeah, sure. Look, I’m going to stop at the store. Do you want anything?” Wait… ‘Fuck, why did I even bother asking? I know he’s just going to fucking say-’  
Gamzee turned around, a huge grin on his clown-painted face. “Fuck yeah! Pick me up some of the wicked elixir, bro! Get a couple of ‘em!”  
Karkat sighed. ‘I knew it.’ “Faygo, right, got it. I’ll meet you there, then.” He turned to go to a convenience store up the next street.  
Gamzee waved crazily after him. “I’ll be waiting, bro!”

Gamzee walked alone in silence the rest of the way to the tree house, reveling in nature, the fresh air, the houses along the street, a fire hydrant, basically anything and everything he could focus his eyes on. But above all else, he blissfully enjoyed the silence in his head. The drugs weren’t the best thing for him, but they at least kept him sane.  
He quickened his pace when he saw the house, then skirted around it and dashed for the tree. Grabbing the ladder, he climbed up with ease, and laid himself out on the floor, giggling for no reason other than that he was high. ‘Damn, it’s good to be in a mood like this.’ He thought it had been too long since he was actually in a good mood, weeks, even months perhaps, but… ‘Nah, yesterday was a good one… Got to see the motherfucking cutest green eyes on a motherfucking sweet little kitten.’  
Speaking of the kitty cat… Gamzee rose and walked to one of the drawers built into the walls of the tree house. He opened it, and pulled out three pieces of paper to look at. ‘He’ll be a bit longer, but I’m gonna take a quick peek at these miracles.’ Giggling, he spread them out on the floor, then lay on his stomach and propped his head up with his hands.  
The one on the left looked like some kind of large cat, curled up and sleeping. It had two mouths for some reason. In the center was a sketch of what looked like Aradia with horns, but she was sort of a frog, and a ghost? Huh. Looked kind of cool, actually. And on the right…  
Gamzee froze, the smile fading from his face. He picked up the drawing. It was him and Tavros. In the sketch, they both had horns, his slightly curved and tall above his messy hair, and Tavros’ were like a bull’s. And… Tavros was in a wheelchair. They were both laughing and smiling. A drop of something fell on the page, leaving a gray smudge in a corner.  
Gamzee put the drawing down and touched his face. He was crying, and his makeup was running a little bit. His head was reeling. How did she know about him and Tavros? Why was he in a wheelchair? And what was up with the horns? He felt like he already knew, but he just couldn’t remember. Or didn’t want to remember…  
But now he just couldn’t get it out of his mind.

“Hey, uh, Gamzee?” Tavros sat up from under his arm where they were curled up on Gamzee’s bed. “I, uh, I need to talk to you about, um, something.”  
Gamzee looked up at him and smiled lazily. “Yeah, bro? Lay it on me.” He sat up and buried his face against Tavros’ neck, nuzzling and kissing it lightly.  
Tavros grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away, turning so they could look at each other. “Gamzee, this is, um, really important.”  
Gamzee frowned, noting the serious look on his boyfriend’s face. He also saw the fear and worry in his eyes. “What is it, Tavbro? You know you can talk to me about anything.”  
“Um, Gamzee, I…” Tavros sighed. Why did this have to be so hard? “I think, um, that we should break up.” He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the fallout.  
Gamzee sat there in shock. He looked at the face of the young man he loved so very much, and saw that it wasn’t the face of someone who was happy. “I… See. If that’s what you really want, but…”  
The pleading tone in Gamzee’s voice made Tavros look at him.  
“We can still be bros, right? I don’t want to lose you as a friend…” Gamzee held back what he really wanted to say, but this was important, too.  
Tavros smiled and let out an internal sigh of relief. “Of course we can! You’ve always been, uh, my best friend! I don’t want to lose that, either.” He pulled Gamzee into a hug and held him as he sobbed.

Gamzee snapped back to the present at the sound of distant thunder, and the splatter of rain against the roof. What? Had a storm come in? He looked down at the drawings again. ‘I’ll give these back to her later, I guess.’  
For some reason, the thought of seeing Nepeta again made his pulse quicken. He grinned and wiped his face on the arm of his sweatshirt. Seeing some of the makeup on the sleeve, he decided to finish the job and wipe it all off.  
‘That little kitty cat is one miracle that I don’t want to miss out on!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I knocked that one out quicker than I thought. I have wicked thoughts for the next few chapters, too! :> Heehee, excited! Anyway, please read and review! I'm really looking for some critiquing! If you like it, share it with someone!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sight of someone sends Nepeta running. Who could she be?

Setting the two Faygos and a candy bar on the counter, Karkat looked outside for the twentieth time. He just wasn’t entirely comfortable with how close this convenience store was to the “bakery”. He really hated dealing with Kurloz, but seeing his best friend in a positive mood was worth all the shit that fucker gave them. He sighed, paid the cashier, and walked out with the bag.

Looking about to make sure Kurloz wasn’t around, he was going to start running toward Gamzee’s tree house when he saw Nepeta walking from the direction of the park. She was preoccupied with staring at a piece of paper in her hand. She was frowning, and chewed at her bottom lip.

Karkat watched as she passed right in front of him, not paying attention to anything around her. Now he was curious. He called after her. “Hey, Nepeta!”

She whirled around, startled. “Oh! Hi, Karkat.” She smiled at him, and he suddenly felt his heart thudding in his chest. “What’s up?”

He lifted the bag. “Just getting a couple drinks for me and Gam. What are you doing?” His question was drowned out by a taxi going by and stopping up the street. He turned to watch it for a moment, and frowned when he saw Kurloz run out to meet it. “Ugh… That asshole.”

“Who’s he?” Nepeta asked, and looked in confusion down at the paper in her hand again, then back up as the door of the taxi opened. She froze when she saw a young woman step out.

Karkat continued, not noticing the tears and recognition forming in her eyes as she stared at Kurloz and the woman. “That would be Gamzee’s older brother, Kurloz.”

Nepeta barely registered what he said. She just stared, watching, as the woman pulled her dark brown hair out of a loose bun. She was wearing an olive-green tee shirt over a long-sleeved dark grey one, and a matching grey pleated skirt over olive-green knee high socks and black shoes. She stood staring at the young man (‘Kurloz’, Nepeta’s mind provided), and a blush rose on her cheeks as she clutched the front of his skeleton hoody, pulling him down to her as she raised herself up on her tiptoes. Her eyes closed, and he tenderly kissed her, caressing her cheek.

Nepeta’s bag fell from her shoulder, and the paper in her hand drifted to the ground. The sound made Karkat look back to her. “Nepeta? Are you okay?” He reached out a hand toward her.

Tears ran unchecked down her face. “M-Meu-” she stammered, then turned and ran.

“Wha- Hey!” Karkat was so startled that he could only stand there for a moment, watching her retreating form. ‘What was that about?’ He bent down and picked up her bag and the paper, which had landed upside-down. Turning it over in his hand, Karkat’s eyes widened in shock.

 

Nepeta ran, sobbing so hard that she could barely see. She didn’t care where she was going, as long as it was away from… Her. What the hell was she doing here, anyway? Nepeta didn’t know, and mostly didn’t care. Right now she just wanted to get away.

When she could see again, she found herself in front of the house she grew up in. She thought about going up to the tree house, but she wanted to do something else first. She stepped up to the porch and pried up one of the bricks from the floor. The emergency key was still there, so she scooped it up and let the brick fall back where it was. She unlocked the door and slipped inside.

With the windows boarded up, it was a little too dark to see, but Nepeta had no trouble going through what used to be the living room to a hallway, and into the last door on the right. She curled up directly under the window, and let out a loud sob… Followed by another… And another, until she just couldn’t stop, and didn’t care how much noise she was making.

She awoke to the sound of thunder, and of rain pelting the roof. ‘A sudden storm? Ugh… It’s freezing in here.’ Nepeta thought of going back to the Hive, but didn’t want to get that soaked. She still felt like she would shatter apart, but at least she wasn’t bawling anymore.

Nepeta got up and snuck back outside. She remembered why she came here in the first place, and ran to the back of the house. She stood under the eaves at the back of the house for a moment, before dashing out to the tree and up the ladder. The planks of it were slick from the sudden downpour, and she lost her grip a few feet from the top. She felt herself falling, and cried out in fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, yes, it's a bit short this time. But, in my defense, it was a good place to stop for now. Hopefully chapter 8 won't take too long! Please R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soaked Nepeta, and a surprisingly protective Gamzee...

Gamzee heard someone scrambling up the ladder. Assuming it was Karkat, he swept up the drawings and hid them back in the drawer. Then he went over to the top of the ladder to help Karkat with the drinks. Or maybe to scare him. He wasn’t totally sure which quite yet. Looking down through the hole in the floor, Gamzee was just in time to see Nepeta’s hand slip on the ladder, and his arm shot out and caught her wrist before she had finished crying out. He pulled her up easily, and held her when she started shaking. He chuckled. “I thought kitty cats were good at climbing trees. What happened?” When he felt her sobbing, though, he pulled back to look at her face.

She was a mess. Nepeta was soaked head to toe from her brief sprint through the rain, her hair was plastered around her face, her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her cheeks were red and puffy from extensive crying. ‘Motherfucking looks like she’s been crying for hours…’ She tried to wipe her eyes with a hand, but only managed to get it to her face as she kept sobbing. She didn’t seem to be able to stop. Gamzee frowned in concern. “Hey,” he said gently, “look at me, Nepeta.” He put a hand under her chin, lifting her face up. She met his eyes, surprise registering through the sobs at him saying her name, and he suddenly found himself fighting the urge to motherfucking hunt down who- or whatever had made this sweet little kitten upset.

Pushing aside the violent thoughts forming in his head, Gamzee carefully wiped the tears from her face. “Listen to me. Breathe. Deep breaths. Nothing else, just breathe. Come on, kitten.” He continued to whisper comforting words until she had calmed down, and was breathing easily. “There, now. That’s better.”

Nepeta gave him a weak smile, her lips still quivering. “Th-thank you…”

“Any time, sis. Now, what shall we do about you being all motherfucking wet?” He stepped closer to her, grabbing the lapels of her dripping coat and carefully peeled it off of her. He draped it over one of the rungs of the ladder to the roof. She began shivering as soon as the air touched her skin. “Hmm… And now you’re cold again. Here, I can fix that.” He unzipped his sweatshirt, revealing a plain black sleeveless tee underneath. He slipped out of the sweatshirt and draped it around her shoulders. She pushed her arms into the sleeves and wrapped it tighter around herself, savoring the warmth.

Gamzee motioned to a pile of blankets in one corner. “Go lay down, and I’ll be right back. That okay, kitten?” Nepeta nodded, and he put a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. This earned him and embarrassed smile and a cute little blush. ‘Heh, motherfucking adorable.’ He watched as she curled up in the blankets, and then headed down the ladder. He stopped at the platform just below the main floor and sat down, his legs dangling out over the ladder.

Reaching into one of his numerous pockets (seriously, there were like a dozen pockets of varying size sewn onto his black pants), Gamzee pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. ‘I should quit,’ he thought. ‘Eh, another time.’ He grabbed one from the pack and lit it up, then put the pack and lighter back in the same pocket. He’d been smoking for four or five years now, and he never seriously saw himself quitting.

Gamzee took a drag and let it out, watching as the smoke dissipated in the rain. He enjoyed seeing how the smoke interacted with the weather. It got really cool to watch in the winter.

Gamzee’s train of thought was derailed when he saw Karkat running toward the tree. He growled, low in his throat. He was suddenly feeling very protective of the distressed girl above him, even from his best friend. He swung out onto the ladder, descending rapidly. He reached the ground and leaned his back against the ladder, affecting a lazy and stoned demeanor. “Heeeeeyyy, best friend! What took you so motherfucking long, bro?”

Karkat huffed. “You can blame that on Nepeta.”

Gamzee started to growl again, quietly. “What about Nepeta?” he asked, a little too quickly.

Thankfully, Karkat didn’t notice. “I bumped into her by the store. Here.” He handed Gamzee the bag he was carrying. “She freaked out and ran off when she saw some chick making out with Kurloz.” He wiped his hair out of his eyes. “She, uh, dropped her bag, so I took it back to the Hive and gave it to Kanaya.”

Gamzee’s face went dark. “Kurloz…” he growled. That motherfucking-

“To be honest, I really don't think it was Kurloz she freaked out about. I think it was that chick.” Karkat walked up to where Gamzee stood, turned around, and sat on his friend’s shoes. “She looked like she’d seen a ghost, man. She tried to say something, I think, but I didn’t catch it.” He sighed. “I just wish I knew where she went. I want to ask her about… Something she dropped.”

Gamzee put a hand on Karkat’s shoulder. “Now that’s motherfucking sad, bro.” He squeezed just a little bit, and Karkat tilted his head back to look up at him. “You really think she’d all up and want to answer your questions when she’s motherfucking flipping out over some shit?”

Karkat’s eyes widened. Gamzee was wearing a heartless grin, a cruel glint in his now-dark eyes. His voice had held a malevolent edge. Karkat pushed himself away from his friend and stood up. “Whoa, man. What in all that is fuck are you so pissed off about?”

“Do me a favor, bro.” Gamzee leaned toward him, grabbing his shirt and bringing Karkat’s face inches from his own. “I want you, and every motherfucking one else, to leave me the fuck alone today.” Pushing Karkat away from him again, Gamzee dropped his cigarette, ground it into the dirt with his boot, and turned to climb up the ladder again.

He knew Karkat would be hurt, but he would understand. This wasn’t the first time Gamzee had told him to fuck off. It wouldn’t be the last, either.

For right now, though, Gamzee wanted nothing and no one to interrupt his time with that cute little kitty cat. In fact, he realized suddenly that he wanted to keep everyone away from her. ‘Fuck them. That little miracle is going to be all mine.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. Gog. Damnit, Gamzee! >.> He went off on a smoker's tangent. It took me hours to get past that. HOURS. Ugh... Anyway, I love how it just flowed after that! ^-^ As always, please R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pesterlog, some cuddling, and exposition!

Well, shit. And today was actually starting to get better. Karkat wondered what had happened to make Gamzee snap that bad, especially since he was always so mellow and unthreatening when he was high.

Karkat pulled out his phone while walking up the street. Scrolling through his apps, he found Pesterchum. He opened it up. All of their friends had this messaging app, so it was the most convenient way to contact everyone at once. He pulled up a new message window, and selected everyone but Gamzee.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began pestering apocalypseArisen [AA], adiosToreador [AT], gallowsCalibrator [GC], centaursTesticle [CT], twinArmageddons [TA], grimAuxiliatrix [GA], caligulasAquarium [CA], arachnidsGrip [AG], and cuttlefishCuller [CC] at 2013-11-02 -- 13:23

CG: HEY, ASSHOLES. JUST TO GIVE YOU A HEAD’S UP, GAMZEE’S HAVING ONE OF HIS… WORSE DAYS, SO STAY AWAY FROM HIM.  
AG: Aww, did the poor little clown 8low his shit agaaaaaaaain? >::::P  
CG: OH MY GOD, SERKET. SHUT THE BLOODY FUCK UP. JUST STAY THE FUCK AWAY.  
AG: Fiiiiiiiine.  
AT: dO YOU, UHHH,,, THINK HE’LL BE OKAY?  
CG: I DON’T KNOW. PROBABLY.  
AT: oH, GOOD,  
TA: why 2hould ii care? iim workiing today anyway. not liike iill 2ee hiim iin the fiir2t place.  
GC: M4YB3 H3LL GO LOOK1NG FOR YOU, SOLLUX >:] D1D YOU TH1NK 4BOUT TH4T?  
TA: p2hhh. he doe2nt know where ii work. 2o not happeniing.  
CT: D--> Has someone informed Miss Nepeta of this %igency  
CT: D--> I have not seen her since I left to help a client  
CG: I SAW HER EARLIER, BUT SHE RAN OFF FOR SOME REASON. SHE SEEMED PRETTY UPSET. I DON’T KNOW WHY, THOUGH.  
CA: it wwas probably somethin you said kar  
CG: NO, IT WASN’T.  
CA: i bet it wwas  
CC: -ERIDAN! Stop t)(at! If we sea her, we’ll let her know!  
GA: Oh My Goodness  
GA: I Shall Stay At The House In Case She Comes Here  
AA: i saw her at the art st0re this m0rning  
CG: OKAY, WELL, SOMEBODY LET HER KNOW. I’M SHUTTING THIS DOWN NOW.  
GC: BY3333 K4RKL3S! >:]  
CG: GOD DAMNIT, TEREZI. STOP CALLING ME THAT!

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased pestering everyone at 13:44 --

 

Gamzee climbed back up to the tree house and walked over to the pile of blankets, where Nepeta was apparently sleeping. He smiled gently, all thoughts of anyone else leaving his mind in an instant. He sat down next to her, wiping some wet hair from her face. His hand lingered on her cheek, caressing it for a moment. She looked so motherfucking cute laying there in his hoody.

She stirred at his touch, and he pulled his hand away. "Hey, there, kitty cat. Feeling a bit better?" She nodded. "Good! Karbro stopped by and dropped off a couple of drinks. You want one?" He pulled out the two Faygos.

"Karkat?" Nepeta started shaking again. "Oh, no. He was there when I- He must think I'm..." Tears formed in her eyes, and her face crumpled.

Gamzee put his hand on her cheek, turning her face to look at him. "Stop, kitten. There's no need for that." He watched for a second while her tears fell. "Well, I tried that. How about this, then?" Putting one arm behind her back and one under her legs, he lifted her easily and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms. Her tears stopped, and she started blushing.

"G-Gamzee, what..." Her face had gone entirely red.

"Shhh, no more tears, okay? I'm really not great with that shit." He gave her a goofy grin, and she giggled. "Now, how about we all up and crack into a wicked elixir and you tell me what's motherfucking up?" Gamzee reached over and grabbed the bag, pulling out a blue Faygo and handing it to Nepeta.

She sighed and nodded. "I guess it would help to talk..." She opened the bottle and took a sip. "Umm... I don't know how to start, though..."

"Well, Karbro said you got all motherfucking choked up when you saw someone. Wanna start there?"

Her face fell, and she started stuttering. "I- well, I mean I- Um."

"Easy, sis. No need to get all upset again. Just tell me what's going through that little head of yours."

Nepeta took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "That was my sister, Meulin. I haven't seen her for something like twelve years. She moved to stay with our aunt and uncle in New York when I was little, so she could go to a nice school. I never heard from her after she moved. Dad and I couldn't even get ahold of her when mom..." She started shaking again, and buried her face against Gamzee's chest.

Gamzee held her close, petting her hair gently. "Your mom?" he asked quietly. "What happened?"

"She..." Nepeta sighed again, talking into his chest. "She was killed ten years ago. They caught the guy, and he's in prison. Apparently it wasn't his first time murdering someone's mom, either. Dad couldn't bear to stay here. He said that everywhere he looked, he could see her smiling, laughing, doing all the things that she loved. It was driving him crazy. We moved, again and again. He just couldn't settle down. I really got sick of it, so when I turned 18, I decided to move back on my own."

"So, seeing your sis made all that shit come back to you, huh? No wonder you were all motherfucking sad like that. I know I would be." He patted her head, and she looked up at him. "No worries, though. You don't have to be alone here, kitty cat." He ruffled her hair, messing it up.

Nepeta smiled up at him weakly. "I guess you're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, god. I thought this exposition would come way sooner than this.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of filler for this one... Equius goes to assist his client, and we get to meet a new character!

After a quick run back to the house with Reika on his back, Equius decided to take a short shower to rinse off while she took care of gathering the necessary tools for this particular client. It was always the same problem… Really, it would be less trouble for the store if they just got a new machine. Equius just couldn’t understand why someone would want to keep using such faulty equipment when it was so simple to just buy a replacement. Of course, he didn’t mind that he had constant business from them. He just wished it wouldn’t cut into his personal time as much.

Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off. He picked up a pile of clean clothes and began dressing in his signature outfit: A pair of black knee-length socks, dark grey shorts, steel-toed black boots, and a black muscle shirt with a dark blue Sagittarius symbol on the chest. He pulled on his fingerless work gloves and cracked sunglasses. They were his favorite pair, and no matter what anyone said, he wouldn’t replace them.

A knock came at the door, and Reika spoke through it. “Equius? Your stuff is outside the door. I’m going to go now, so I’ll see you later.”

He picked up his brush and started running it through his hair as he opened the door. “Alright. Thank you for your assistance. I apologize if this ruined your plans today.”

Reika smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about it so much. You know I don't mind helping. Anyway, later!” She turned around and left through the door to the garden, her preferred entrance to his lab.

Equius put down the brush and pulled his hair into a ponytail. He picked up the bag of tools, quickly checking to be sure that she had assembled the right collection. He grabbed a set of keys from a hook on the wall, and left the way Reika had. He walked around the back of the house to a driveway on one side of it, where his car was parked. He didn’t use it much, other than for jobs. The center of town was just a short walk away, and he would walk to his jobs if not for his excessive perspiration problems.

He shuffled through the keys until he found the one for his car, unlocking the door and sitting in the drivers seat. He started it up and pulled out of the driveway, then turned to head toward the center of town. It should only take him a few minutes to get there.

 

A young man with shaggy dirty blond hair looked up at the clock for the thousandth time in the last twenty minutes, his hand tapping on the counter next to a cash register and a pile of dull knives. “Come on, man… I’ve got orders to fill…” He sighed and dropped his head to the counter. “I hate waiting…”

He looked up at hearing the door open to see one of his regular customers. “Oh, hey Dave, what’s up man?”

Dave adjusted his sunglasses, which he was never seen without. He thought they were ironic, but he never explained why. “Yo, Z. Bro sent me to pick up his shit. You got it ready for me?”

Zirial grimaced. “Nah, sorry. I told him it would be ready tomorrow. The machine’s busted again, so you’re gonna have to come back. Sucks that you had to drive all the way out here.”

Dave shrugged and turned back to the door. “It’s cool. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said over his shoulder as he walked out.

“Yeah, see you…” Zirial watched him walking away for a moment, then dropped his head back to the counter with a groan. “Ugh… This isn’t helping. I need something to do, at least…” He straightened up and pulled a knife from his belt and placed his hand on the counter. With impeccable precision, he started stabbing the counter between his fingers, speeding up and slowing down seemingly at random. He smirked as he varied the pattern.

This provided enough amusement that he was smiling a few minutes later, when Equius came through the door, carrying a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. “I apologize for my tardiness, I… What are you doing?”

Zirial grinned and pulled his arm back a half second before burying the knife in the counter where his hand was. “Passing the time. Come on back. I’ve got a shit ton of work to do, so if you could be quick, that’d be great.” He walked around the counter and to the door, flipping the “open” sign and locking the door.

Equius waited until he headed for the back room and followed, unzipping his bag on the way. Getting to the bench where the machines were, he set out all the tools he was going to use and quickly got to work taking the first machine apart. “I would again like to remind you that ordering new machines would be simple and relatively inexpensive.”

Zirial rolled his eyes. “Preaching to the choir, man. I’ve been telling them for months, but they won’t budge. Heh, I think they only keep these monsters so you’ll come and fix them.”

Equius smiled a little as he worked. It was true that the proprietors of this shop had tried many times to hire him on permanently, but he always graciously refused. He had noticed that many of his clients kept subpar equipment, and wondered if it was because he was always available for maintenance. It certainly made him feel useful. “I should be done in about an hour and a half with all three. I will write up an invoice for my services. In the mean time, I suggest you call the owners and ask them to please buy at least one new machine, so you can get some work done, even while the others are broken.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Zirial chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my gods... I am so sorry that this took so long! Life hasn't been great lately, and... well, I won't go into that. Please read and review! Thank you so much for your patience!

**Author's Note:**

> I know, short start. The chapters will get longer, and I'll work on this as much as I can. Unfortunately, I won't have a regular update schedule for a bit. Please read and review! It's been years since I've done any fanworks, and this is actually my first time posting... Let me know what you think needs improvement! :33


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